PARIS – Giorgio Maggi and Vittorio Ghirelli were fierce rivals last year, both chasing the EuroNASCAR 2 title, but the Swiss and the Italian will team up this year in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series to drive the No. 18 Hendriks Motorsport Ford Mustang.
While Maggi will step up to the EuroNASCAR PRO championship, Ghirelli will be among the strongest candidates for the EuroNASCAR 2 title.
Maggi made an impressive debut last year with Hendriks Motorsport, winning his first NASCAR race in Valencia. The Swiss went on to score three wins, four pole positions, eight podium finishes and eleven top-five results in 13 starts, coming nine points short of the title in the last race of the season.
With Hendriks Motorsport expanding to a three-car lineup, Maggi will take the next step and move to the EuroNASCAR PRO championship to compete against the best NASCAR drivers in Europe for a place in the NASCAR Hall Of Fame. The goal: conquer both the drivers and teams championships.
“I am very excited to put myself to test at the highest Level of NASCAR in Europe. It will be a tough challenge, I proved I can put down lap times worth of the EuroNASCAR PRO but being fast is just a small part of racing. Any Mistake will be punished much harder, so I used the off-season to go over my whole EuroNASCAR 2 campaign and analyze where I can improve myself. I’m feeling very confident,” said Maggi. “The special thing about EuroNASCAR is that each event has its own charm, its own audience and its own track characteristics. I’m looking forward to Valencia the most at the moment and I can’t wait to go back racing.”
In 2019 Ghirelli belonged to one of the strongest rookie classes in series history. The Italian – a former Auto GP champion and GP2 driver – grabbed a sensational win at Venray in what was his first oval race. With four podium finishes and eight top-fives, he ended up third in points. With one year of experience, the 25-year-old Fasano native will definitely be one of the favorites for the EuroNASCAR 2 championship in 2020.
“I only have one result in my mind and that’s winning. I start to score the best possible result in each and every race and win the championship. Last year we gained precious experience and now I’m confident to be in a condition both physically and mentally and to have the potential to contend for the title. With Hendriks Motorsport I am sure to have all the tools to deliver and I want to thank them for this opportunity, my family and my fans for their amazing support,” said Ghirelli, who is particularly looking forward to the new event at his home track of Vallelunga. “Vallelunga is where I started my career, there will be plenty of fans cheering for me. It will be really special.”